Program is part of the local and national Citizen Corps effort to incorporate and

utilize volunteers in the community. Citizen Corps is endorsed by the President

and the Department of Homeland Security. EB CERT members are trained in

basic response techniques in order to assist local citizens and first responders in

disaster or emergency situations.

The purpose of the East Bridgewater CERT Concept of Operations Plan and

Standard Operating Guidelines is to:

1. Outline the concept of operations organization.

2. Specify procedures for CERT activation.

3. Establish CERT training and equipment requirements.

4. Define CERT team functions, capabilities, and limitations.

This helps to insure an organized and efficient response to a large-scale

emergency or disaster occurring in East Bridgewater.

B. MISSION

The mission of the CERT program is to rapidly respond as a team to assist local

responders, communities, private agencies and/or state and federal agencies in a

large-scale emergency or disaster.

CERT teams are designed to support first responders or Emergency Operations

Center support functions.

CERT Mission Statement:

TO PROVIDE AREA RESIDENTS AND FIRST RESPONDERS A QUALITY

RESOURCE FOR SAFETY EDUCATION, HAZARD MITIGATION,

EMERGENCY RESPONSE ASSISTANCE, AND OTHER VOLUNTEER

EFFORTS.

C. GOALS

The goals of the CERT program are:

1. To do the greatest good for the greatest amount of people.

2. To maintain team readiness through ongoing training and meetings.

3. To gain and maintain acknowledgement and respect from area first

responders and residents.

4. To maintain professionalism in all areas within the scope of the program.

5. To focus great effort in maintaining the safety, in ordered importance, of

ourselves, team members, and all other victims or rescuers.

D. OBJECTIVES

The objectives of the CERT program are to establish and maintain teams of

qualified and trained individuals who can execute the following:

1. Augment the local emergency services and emergency management

officials with trained individuals.

2. Assist law enforcement functions including traffic direction and security.

3. Assist in victim triage and rescue.

4. Assist with sheltering, mass feeding and other support function staffing.

5. Integrate operations with other CERT teams as directed by other first

responders.

6. Provide communications capability with individual team members and

coordinate communications with other CERT teams.

E. BASIC MEMBERSHIP ELIGIBILITY

1. Appropriate Assignments. The basic intent in staffing the CERT program is the premise: “There is a job for everyone”. This premise takes into consideration that some of the volunteers may be young or old, physically fit or disabled, highly educated or poorly educated, and so forth. The key to success in staffing the CERT program is to assign jobs appropriate to the individual.

2. Age. Inherent to CERT operations in a disaster environment are risks to the health and safety of CERT team members. Therefore, if accepted, CERT team members under the age of 18 must provide appropriate parental permission and supervision. These members will only be assigned jobs and/or tasks of minimal risk. Similarly, members with advanced age should be assigned tasks appropriate to their physical ability.

3. Gender. There are no barriers to gender in this program.

4. Ethnic Group or Race. There are no barriers to ethnic groups or race.

5. Disability. Many Americans with disabilities are extremely valuable if assigned to positions or duties within the scope of their abilities. Although there may be some physical barriers which people with disabilities may not overcome, not all tasks, duties, or positions subject people to these barriers. Therefore, assignment within capability may add a valuable member to the team that otherwise would have been overlooked or excluded.

6. Religion. There are no barriers to religion in this program.

F. REQUIREMENTS FOR MEMBERSHIP

Potential CERT Team members should:

1. Available to the Town of East Bridgewater with residents receiving preference.

2. Be able, either physically, mentally (or both physically and mentally) as required, execute any or all competencies taught during basic CERT training.

3. Not be a convicted felon or have a history of criminal convictions that, in the opinion of the Town, would be against the best interest of the Town to appoint said person to CERT, whereas CERT members could likely be placed into situations where the occupancy by CERT members would occur in private dwellings of homes and citizens’ personal space. CORI checks will be performed on all members

4. Be of a character that can be trusted under adverse conditions where victims of disaster could be at disadvantage. (CERT Team members must be trusted to treat victims and their property with highest respect and dignity.)